Tomb Raider: A True Revelation
by Sakura Ryudori
Summary: Confidence shaken after being buried alive in an Egyptian tomb, Lara Croft has to make the decision whether or not she will continue to be a tomb raider. But after an unfortunate event, Lara is forced to go back to her old ways as she goes in search of th
1. Who am I?

Author's note: This fanfic follows the videogame storyline only and takes place a little after Tomb Raider: Chronicles, then totally disregards the storyline afterwards. I don't own Tomb Raider at all…okay I own all the games and Lance, Mark, and Maru…they are my original characters.

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Chapter 1- Who Am I?

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Lara Croft opened the solid wood doors in front of her mansion, stepping in and taking a good look around. She did not feel the same anymore. The bold, fearless woman she used to be seemed like a mere distant memory ever since she had returned from Egypt a little under a month ago. "Lara, good to see you, I didn't hear you come in." Winston, her butler and friend, greeted her at the door. "So how was your trip?" Lara scuffed her brown boots against the black and white tiled floor.

"Just fine." The woman responded in somewhat of a preoccupied manner as she took off her holsters and threw them gently onto a nearby chair.

**BANG! **A shot rang out from her .45s and smashed a vase, shards of decorated glass scattered everywhere. Winston ducked in an attempt to avoid the incoming projectiles as Lara snapped out of whatever trance she had been in and shook her head. "Bloody hell." She grumbled irately under her breath. "Forgot the safety." Winston had noticed a drastic change in the tomb raider lately and was honestly becoming worried about her. _She's never this reckless…and she usually has some story to tell me or an artifact to show me whenever she comes back from a trip, _he thought. Lara had been on a few minor expeditions since coming back from Egypt, but nothing like she used to take on.

"I'll take care of this mess. You should go on and rest for a bit." Lara smiled at the old man and thanked him. "Oh! And Lara—" Winston began, but caught the woman sauntering off to the attic. _She'll come around, _he thought, _after all she's been through Lara just needs some time to herself._ Lara jogged up the long staircase, wandering around until she came across the door that led to the attic. She pressed a button and walked in, traveling the long and dimly lit corridor until she came to a room with boxes piled everywhere. Lara had told herself that one day she would finally get around to unpacking everything.

Grabbing the nearest blue box on the left, she pulled it out a considerable distance. _Don't remember it being this heavy before, _the tomb raider noted idly as she stood up straight and walked through to the room the large object had blocked off. The room was plain, a few more storage containers lingered in the area and a lone button decorated the wall to the left. Lara trotted over to the button and pressed it, turning around quickly and running into the attic, then back down the hall. _I'm not gonna make it…_ she thought as she hesitated for a second before jumping over the first set of gold railing, followed by the second set as she twisted in midair, landing on one knee on the ground.

"Perfect!" Lara said softly as she swiftly recovered from her landing and dashd into the hall just as the door shut behind her. This room was Lara's favorite, it had a large aquarium that took up three quarters of the wall and was filled with beautiful blue and yellow angelfish. The tomb raider sat down on a white leopard print couch with a heavy sigh. She needed some time to think and figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. "My last trip to Egypt changed me somehow. Being buried under those rocks when the tomb collapsed…it was one of the few times I was actually afraid." Lara Croft got up and peered out of the window, staring at the memorial in the front yard that had been put there when she was thought to be dead.

"It was the first time in my life I thought my luck had run out and that I wouldn't make it out alive. This time I cheated death, but next time…next time I might not be so lucky." A cold wave of realization washed over her as she thought of the implications of that last sentence. "Maybe it would be best if I quit while I was ahead…maybe it was a sign that if I don't give up now, I'll have a lot more to lose next time." The auburn haired woman paced around a bit before lying down on the couch and closing her eyes.

Tripping and falling, Lara stumbled down a slope and landed hard in a blinding white room. "Lara…you can do it…don't give up." A deep male voice, one she thought she had heard many times before, resonated through the room. The woman stood up and looked around to see who was talking to her.

"No, I can't! I…I…I just can't!" She responded adamantly as she fell to her knees on the ground, a single tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm afraid." Lara cringed as she said this. Fear. Afraid. She was usually a very strong person and always seemed to be able to block out any semblance of fear in even the most life threatening of situations.

"You are a survivor and I believe in you." The room began to shake and the floor crumbled and began to disappear, sending Lara falling into the black abyss.

"No!" Lara awoke with a start, heart pounding and almost stumbling off the couch in the process. _I can't even get some peace from my dreams,_ she thought wearily as she traveled down the hall and exited out of the room. "Winston?" She called his name hesitantly as he craned his neck out the doorway of the kitchen. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Winston smiled and nodded his head. "Of course Lara, you know I always have time for you. Let's discuss it over lunch."

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AN: So what do you guys think so far? This chapter was short but the next one will be longer, I promise. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Leopards Can't Change Their Spots

Author's Note: Thank you to everybody who has read and reviewed so far! Honestly I was a little nervous about posting this fic because I wasn't sure if people would like how I portrayed Lara…but I gave it a shot and I'm glad you guys like it!

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Chapter 2- Leopards Can't Change Their Spots

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"So what seems to be the problem?" Winston asked from across the small table. Lara took a big bite out of her beans on toast before replying.

"It's just…I've been contemplating giving up tomb raiding." The butler almost choked on his lunch after that statement. He never thought he would live to see the day when Lara Croft would even halfway consider doing something like that.

"Why?" Was the first word that immediately sprang to Winston's lips.

"I lost my nerve. What happened in Egypt has shaken me and as much as I hate to admit it…I don't think I'll be able to overcome it." The butler sat in thought for a while, trying to find the right words to say.

"Lara," Winston started, "Tomb raiding isn't just your profession, it's your way of life. If you gave it up it would have a major impact on your future." Lara nodded in agreement and looked down at the table briefly. "Whatever choice you make, I'm sure it will be the right one." The butler added with a smile as he placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Thanks Winston." Lara responded at last, feeling much better than she had been the past few weeks as she walked out the door and into the shed that was located at the side of her house. Besides ancient artifacts, Lara also loved to collect motorcycles and had many of them in her garage. Putting on her brown leather jacket and black helmet, she jumped on her motorcycle. The engine roared and she tore from the garage and into the streets.

The sun was beginning to set when Lara arrived back at her mansion, skidding to a halt and dismounting her motorcycle, staring in disbelief. A rather sizable hole had been blown through the side, leaving the bricks charred black with smoke slowly rising to the sky. Panic struck the woman as she realized that the hole had been blown through the trophy room. Without a second thought, Lara jumped the tall black iron fence and ran to the door, noticing a letter affixed to it by a blood stained dagger.

_Lara Croft, _the letter began, _you don't know who I am? Too bad! My name is Lance and my mission in life is to get my revenge on you. Don't act so surprised, you killed my father Larson and now I seek to repay his vendetta with your life. What you witness before you is nothing compared to what I have in store next so be careful. Whenever you turn your back, I'll be right behind you. _

If there had not been a giant hole blown through her house, and had she not had the suspicion that her artifacts had been stolen, she would have found the amateurish stereotypical warning letter to be quite humorous. But since such was not the case she jammed the letter into her pocket and ran to the trophy room, which as of now, was somewhat empty. The golden skulls, the Iris, the Scion, and her favorite, the Dagger of Xian, were all missing. "Winston!" Lara had forgotten about him and hoped that her friend was not hurt. She froze and listened carefully, the mansion was huge and the tomb raider did not know where to start.

Suddenly, she heard a muffled yell and forceful banging against a wall that seemed to be coming from down the hall. Racing into the kitchen area, she heard the thumping coming from inside the meat cooler and fumbled with the switch until it opened. Winston was tied up and gagged, freezing cold, but unharmed. "Oh my God, Winston are you all right?" Lara asked as she removed the cloth from his mouth and untied the bindings from his hands and feet.

"I…I th-think so." The shivering butler replied as Lara helped him up and escorted him to his room that stood across the hall. "Wh-what are you g-going to do?" Winston asked the woman in front of him, whose expression changed immediately. The butler was amazed how quickly that familiar fire returned to her amber eyes as she narrowed them in anger. Lara answered his question with no fear or doubt in her voice, just the rage she felt toward the young man who did this.

"Get Lance."

The next morning, Lara put on her black and white camouflage pants and black top, fastening her holsters to her belt and giving them a reassuring pat. Winston had come down with a minor cold but would not stay in bed and rest like the woman had instructed him to do. "So you figure out your path yet?" Lara knew what her friend meant and she smiled.

"We'll see what happens." The tomb raider said with a shrug as she put on her black ski cap.

Winston chuckled and shook his head sagaciously. "No matter how hard they try, I guess leopards really can't change their spots."

Lara walked out the door and jumped on to her motorcycle, revving the engine a few times before driving through the open gates. Each artifact had a microchip embedded into it and if it were stolen, could be tracked down by a radar system she had built into her bike (AN: Convenient, ne?). Driving down the street, Lara heard the beeping on the radar becoming slightly stronger. _Strange, _she thought, _that kid should be somewhere in this area_. "Woah!" The woman exclaimed as she swerved right, narrowly missing a man who was crossing the street. Lara heard him yell obscenities at her and she would have said something back to him had she not been in a hurry.

**Beep! Beep! Beep! **The noise was becoming quicker and louder until she was right next to a young man on a motor bike, face obscured by a dark green helmet. The boy did a double take, speeding up after seeing Lara next to him and throwing an object in front of her bike. The woman did not see it in time and flew over the handlebars of her motorcycle, hitting the ground hard and was knocked unconscious on impact.

The first thing Lara saw when she came to was the blue walls of an unfamiliar room. Shifting around so she was laying on her back, she noticed sunlight pouring through the pulled back white curtains. "My guns." The tomb raider said as she panicked slightly, then reached a hand down and felt the cool metal of her pistols, breathing a sigh of relief. Too many times in her career had she regained consciousness only to find that her weapons were missing and had to go through Hell to get them back.

Standing up quickly in a failed attempt to leave, the dizziness she felt instantly forced her to sit back down as she held her bandaged head. The door opened a crack and a man with sandy blond hair poked his head through to look at her. "Mind if I come in?" He asked quietly as the woman looked up to meet his dark green eyes.

"By all means." Lara replied calmly, but was preparing to defend herself if the situation happened to arise. She didn't realize, however, that in her condition she probably would not be able to put up much of a fight. The man stepped into the room and Lara's jaw promptly dropped to the ground as a look of comical disbelief crossed her face. "Mark, is that you?"

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Chapter 3 Preview: Lara finds herself in the care of her high school friend Mark, but what exactly happened between them all those years ago? And when Lara tries to sneak out in the middle of the night, will Mark let her leave him a second time? Just when Lara gets back on her feet, Lance appears to her again and this time she's pulling out all the stops to get back what is hers. 


	3. I Won't Let You Go

Author's Note: Wow, sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been having some problems and everything was just going crazy these past few weeks…my computer crashed and wiped out everything I had saved so I kinda lost my motivation to continue this fic. But it's back now and updates should be a bit more regular. Another thing worth noting (if you haven't already) is that this fic follows the storyline up to The Last Revelation then totally disregards all continuity.

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Chapter 3- I Won't Let You Go

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"Glad you remember me." Mark chuckled softly. Lara could not help but notice how much he had changed over the years, not at all what he was like when she first met him in high school. Mark had been a small and skinny kid but was now very tall and muscularly built, sandy blonde hair reaching his ears. Back in school, the man apparently liked the tomb raider a lot, but Lara subconsciously began to push him away when Mark's true feelings were made clear. It was not that Lara did not like him, the problem was she _did_. "So how do you feel?" The man asked softly.

Lara brought a hand up to rub her bandaged head. "Not as bad as it looks. Honestly I've lived through much worse." An awkward silence then enveloped the room, reminding them that there was still a degree of tension between the two old friends.

"If you're up to eating something, I brought you some soup." The man offered her a bowl and Lara graciously accepted it, taking a sip of the steaming broth.

"Thanks." She said as Mark nodded then walked out of the room, deciding he would allow her to get the rest she needed.

Lara could not suppress a smile as he walked out, and then mentally kicked herself. _No! Not now. This is the last thing I need_, the tomb raider told herself sternly as she ate some more of the proffered soup. Laying back down she pulled the tan sheets up to her chin and closed her eyes, a small voice in the corner of here mind telling her that this was a battle she was destined to lose.

A few hours later, Lara woke up and looked around. The room was only illuminated by the pale, watery glow of the moon, and was completely silent. She stood up, fighting dizziness and several conflicting emotions as she put on the ski cap that lay on the dresser next to her and carefully guided her way down the stairs. _It's really for the best, _the tomb raider tried to convince herself.

The auburn haired woman walked quietly through the living room, the door only a few feet away from her as she tried to make as less noise as possible so she did not wake Mark up. Part of her knew full well that if she saw him, she would be unable to leave. Lara was almost past the kitchen when she heard a voice that made her freeze dead in her tracks. "Evening Lara." Mark said. Recovering from the initial surprise, the tomb raider turned around sheepishly. "Were you planning to leave?"

Mark was sitting at the kitchen table wearing a pair of black silk pants without a shirt, he had a gentle look in his eyes which Lara found to be slightly unnerving. Finding it ironic that she could escape from a military base filled with soldiers without being noticed, yet not from a house inhabited by a single man, the tomb raider realized her efforts had been thwarted so she resigned herself to having a seat across from him. "I really should get going now. Thank you for everything." Lara said as Mark just smiled and shook his head.

"Why do you think I'm sitting here Lara? I've known you for years…I know you well enough to know that you would try to leave me without saying goodbye. To tell the truth, letting you go the first time was the biggest mistake I've ever made." The man said softly, feeling unable to look the tomb raider sitting across from him in the eye.

That statement stung Lara more than she would have liked to admit. Just before her graduation from high school, she set out on a trip to Cambodia in order to leave everything from her past behind. Despite the fact that Mark was her friend she was unable to tell him for the same reason she tried to leave this time without him noticing—Lara would not have been able to go. To the tomb raider, love was a liability. She did not need anybody else to protect nor to take care of her, and Lara had grown up only depending on herself. The woman ran away from her feelings toward Mark for what she thought had been the last time, but now they were like a brick wall she had hit full force.

Finally, a bit of her resolve broke down. "Mark, I'm really sorry. I should have never left without telling you…but when I was eighteen I just had so much on my mind, I thought leaving it all behind was the only way to sort it out." Lara never thought she was the type of person who would run away from her problems, but as soon as those words left her mouth, she realized that that was what she had been doing. The woman, who had stared down death so many times and had gone toe to toe with dinosaurs and dragons without fear, was afraid of her own emotions.

"No need to apologize Lara, it's all in the past now. I'm just glad I got to see you one last time, even under these circumstances, it was nice." Mark responded casually. But please, just stay for this night. You can leave in the morning…it would probably be easier for you anyway."

Lara opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips as her eyes dropped briefly to look at the table. "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow morning." She relented. With a smile, Mark placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Good night." They both said in unison before getting up and walking to their respective rooms.

The tomb raider lay on her bed looking blankly upwards, arms resting behind her head. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." Lara whispered as she continued her staring match with the ceiling. "Do I still…is it possible that I…_love _him?" In the profession of tomb raiding, you tend to make a lot of enemies who could target the ones you care about in order to get to you, and Lara did not want to see any harm come to Mark. Her mind rationalized that by fighting any feelings she felt toward the man, she would be protecting them both. With a shake of the head Lara tried to stop thinking about this entire confusing ordeal, and then closed her eyes before falling into a black and dreamless sleep.

The next morning Lara tied up her boots and walked downstairs, meeting Mark in the kitchen again. Vaguely she wondered if he had stayed up there the entire night. "Promise you'll come to see me again?" The man asked her with a smile.

"I promise, but…" Lara faltered. "But what if I don't come back…like in Egypt?" Mark heard about what had happened on the news and had been incredibly worried about his old friend.

The man pulled Lara into a tentative embrace, then looked her directly in the eye. "Lara, you can do it so I don't want you to give up. You're a survivor and I believe in you." Lara's head jerked up upon hearing those words as a chill ran up her spine. "What's wrong? Looks like you've seen a ghost?" Mark asked with concern as he saw the tomb raider's startled expression.

Lara just shook her head. "No, it's nothing. I'm alright." She replied. "Thank you for everything." She walked out the door and noticed that her motorcycle had been repaired, no longer the mangled mess it had been after the crash. Getting on the bike, she revved the engine then drove off into the distance.

_What Mark said, _she thought, _those were the words in my dream…that voice, it was slightly different, but it sounded like him as well._ Taking a sharp left turn she shook that thought away. After all, it was probably just a strange coincidence. The tracking system on Lara's motorcycle was beyond repair, leaving her no intimation as to where Lance could possibly be.

After a few hours of aimless driving Lance's motorcycle drove quickly past her, so turning around she followed him in pursuit. _Stupid kid, he should have either killed me or made damn sure I never saw him again. _She thought, _I'll teach him that lesson the hard way._ The chase continued off-road as Lance swerved from the streets and into the woods, the tomb raider making a screeching turn and kept him in her sights as she pulled close next to him.

Lance pulled a pistol out of his brown leather jacket and fired off two warning shots in the air, the woman noticing how hesitant he was to actually shoot her. Lara pulled one of her .45s and returned fire, a bullet hitting the young man in the forearm. The tomb raider did not want to kill Lance because she had the suspicion the young man was brainwashed by his father, however Lance had no qualms with killing the woman. He shot wildly at Lara, most of the rounds missing while she sent a well aimed shot to his shin.

The pistol lance had been firing had ran out of ammunition, so he took a shotgun from the side of his motorcycle and pulled the trigger. Lara felt a sharp, burning pain in her thigh and realized two things at that moment: That the shotgun blast had hit her, and that the recoil from firing the big gun had knocked Lance off of his bike.

"Bloody guilty conscience." Lara muttered as she stopped her motorcycle and walked over to Lance to assess the damage done, finding it slightly difficult to walk with the gunshot wound in her leg. The young man suffered two bullet wounds, a broken arm, a nasty bump on the head, and cuts and bruises covered his battered body. The boy had to have been no older than sixteen with wild brown hair that came down to his shoulders.

Once Lara was certain that he was out cold, she picked him up and set him on her motorcycle, ignoring the searing pain in her thigh as she drove off to find the nearest hospital.

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Chapter 4 Preview: Lara takes Lance to the hospital, but how will the young man react when he comes to? Unsure of whether there will be a confrontation or a change of heart, Lara must prepare herself for the worst case scenario.


	4. Second Chances

Author's Note: Originally this was supposed to be the last chapter…everything seemed to tie together and it looked like a good point to end it. But I'm having a lot of fun with this story and I thought it would be a shame to end it so soon, so on it shall go. Drop me some more reviews please! Love hearing from you guys.

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Chapter 4: Second Chances

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Coming to a halt outside of the large building, Lara picked up the boy and carried him inside the hospital. She was met by a short older woman with glasses at the reception desk who gave her a dubious stare. "Name?" The older woman asked after a few moments. 

"Lance—" Lara replied, but was cut off by the other woman.

"Age?"

"Sixteen." The tomb raider replied with a considerable amount of annoyance in her voice.

The receptionist lifted her glasses and skeptically lifted her eyebrows at the woman in front of her. "What happened to him?"

Lara searched her mind for a logical and reasonable explanation—moreover, a logical and reasonable explanation that would not put her in jail. "We were out riding together and he crashed his motorcycle." She replied, which was not exactly a lie, but still a rather large stretch from the truth.

The woman at the desk sighed and sent another nurse to escort the young man to his room. "You can go see him in about an hour if you want." She said, and then paused. "Is he your brother?"

Lara chuckled at the notion of having him as a brother, but found it more humorous when she deducted that that would also make Larson her father. "No, not really." The tomb raider responded as she walked away, searching for something to help her kill some time.

About an hour later, Lara walked down the long white halls and opened the door to Lance's room. The room was blinding white, and she made a mental note of how much it reminded her of her dream. That thought caused her to falter, but shaking off her unease she took a seat on the red plush chair next to the bed.

"What are you doing here?" Lance demanded insolently, moving away from the tomb raider remarkably fast for an injured boy. Although he tried to act indignant, Lara could plainly see the hint of fear in his eyes.

"I saved your life, so maybe you should be a bit more grateful." Lara advised. "I could have just as easily finished you off if I had wanted to."

At that statement a look of unadulterated confusion crossed the young man's face for a split second, but soon Lance regained his mask of anger. The two sat in an almost hostile silence for what seemed like forever before the boy spoke up. "Why?" He did not look angry as he spoke anymore, his reply barely above a whisper. "You're nothing like what my father said you were."

Shaking her head slightly, Lara knelt down next to Lance's bed. "Larson was one of my worst enemies." The tomb raider started. "I figured he would convince you that I'm a bad person."

Lance did not say anything in response, but he began to feel guilty about everything he had put the woman through. After all, maybe she was not really such a bad person. "Could you…" He started, but then trailed off. "Could you tell me what really happened?" _It's funny, _Lance thought, _I have heard only negative things about this woman but somehow I feel like I can trust her. If she really wanted to kill me, she would have done it back when she had the chance._

Honoring his request, Lara told him about when she first met Larson and up until his timely demise while Lance just sat there in shock. "Wow, he never told me those stories before. All he told me is that you were a vicious, dangerous person and to kill you at any cost."

Silence prevailed for a few moments, leaving the two of them to their own separate thoughts. "What do you say I get you out of here and take you back to my mansion for a little while?" Lara asked finally.

"You would trust me? Even after all I've done?" Lance asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

The tomb raider just smiled. "Everyone deserves a second chance, but it would be in your best interest not to stab me in the back."

The boy got out of bed and put on his shoes, which was quite an accomplishment for one who had his arm in a sling, and walked out with Lara. "You think we should tell them we left?" Lance asked as he inhaled the cool afternoon air.

The tomb raider just smirked as she put on her helmet and helped Lance onto the back of her bike. "I don't think they'll mind."

"Lara! Hey, wait a minute!" A deep, familiar voice called out from behind. This caused both lance and Lara to jump off the motorcycle and turn around, seeing Mark running up to them.

"Hey Mark, what brings you here?" Lara asked with a smile.

The older man just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I was just taking a walk around, no destination in particular." His eyes then met those of the younger man. "Who's the kid?"

"That would be Lance. He had a change of heart a few minutes too late." Lara replied as she gestured toward the boy.

Mark laughed, noticing what a job Lara had done on him. With one arm in a sling, a bandaged head, a black eye, and many cuts…yes, he could safely say that was the look of somebody who had gotten on Lara's bad side. "So I see…well, take care Lara."

The man was about to jog away when the tomb raider's voice stopped him momentarily. "Hey Mark, if you want to stop by my mansion a bit later maybe we can talk or something." She offered.

Mark broke out into a wide grin. "Sure, I'd like that. It's been a while since we actually talked. I'll see you then!" He responded before continuing down the street with his jog.

Once he was out of earshot, a mischievous smile slowly began to cross Lance's face. "Oh, I see what's going on here. 'Talking'? So that's what they're calling it nowadays." He said slyly as he suggestively wagged his eyebrows.

"Grow up." Lara retorted sharply, but it did not have the desired effect seeing as how the undaunted boy just laughed.

"Ain't gonna, don't wanna, can't make me, so there!" Lance replied as he stuck out his tongue playfully.

The tomb raider just sighed and dropped her head. _Dear gods what did I get myself into?_ She thought, and then got back on the motorcycle. "Come on, let's go." Lance obeyed and the two drove off to the Croft mansion.

Dismounting the motorcycle, she walked up the stairs to her front door and went in, Lance following behind and gazing at his surroundings in amazement. "Daaaaaamn….think you got enough room in this place?"

Lara walked him into the main room and the boy took a seat on the couch. "Stay right here and don't move. I'll be back." She ordered as she walked into the kitchen. The tomb raider did not need anything, she just wanted to see what lance would do if he were left alone.

Winston took that opportunity to walk into the main room. "Lara, I heard you come in and…oh my god!" Lance just smiled awkwardly and gave a small wave, and the butler, without a second of hesitation sent a flying side kick into the younger man's chest, causing both of them and the couch to tumble over.

Lara ran into the room, struggling to keep a straight face as she saw the two trapped underneath the large piece of furniture. "Winston it's alright, I let him in. Sorry I should have told you." She apologized as she picked the couch up and helped Winston and Lance to their feet, both of then sauntering over to separate chairs next to the other.

"Almost forgot Lara, there's somebody here to see you." The butler remembered as he gestured for Mark to come out.

"Miss me?" He asked with a smile as Winston left the room, silently urging Lance to follow him, which he did. Lara and Mark sat next to each other on the couch.

"So how has everything been going? It's been a long time since high school." Lara asked as the man inched a little more closely to her.

Mark just cocked his head to the side and shrugged. "Same old, same old. My life is nowhere near as exciting as yours is."

The pair remained silent for a moment before Lara spoke up. "Look Mark, I'm sorry for leaving you years ago." She started, eyes looking everywhere except for the man in front of her. "I could have at least told you goodbye first. It's just that I was confused. I didn't know how to say…" Lara paused and smiled. "As a matter of fact I still don't know how to say…"

Mark was amused at Lara's chagrin as she tried to find the right words to say. _Words be damned, _the man thought with determination, _there is more than one way to get your point across._ Very slowly the man moved in to kiss her, and Lara became aware of what was about to happen. In a split second she gave in and was mere inches away from him when…

"**HELLO!" **Lance yelled, jumping up from behind the couch and startling the pair so much that they almost fell off the couch.

"How long were you hiding there?" Mark asked, visibly rather embarrassed while Lance gave Lara that same predatory grin.

"Long enough." The young man arched his eyebrows and sat on the floor facing the two. "Oh Lara!" He exclaimed, his face lighting up as he grabbed his laptop. "Check this out, they're looking for an artifact called Runihura's Spear. I think it's somewhere in Egypt." Lance turned the screen to show the tomb raider, and then shut the laptop closed. "So what do you say? You up for it?"

Lara gazed down at the ground trying to make it seem like she was carefully weighing the pros and cons in her mind, however all of the acting skills in the world could not conceal the smile that was slowly crossing her face. Lara Croft, tomb raider, was back with a vengeance.

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Chapter 5 preview: It has been one year since Lara heard about the latest artifact in Egypt, and the time has been spent training Lance for their expedition. But when it is found out who else is searching for Runihura's Spear, an important decision must be made. 


	5. New Beginnings

Author's note: Hey, what happened? Did I lose all of my readers after those four months of not updating or something? Ah well, I'm gonna finish it anyway…this fic has been on my plate for about four years now and it deserves to be completed. It also may be worth noting that this chapter introduces the 'eight rules of tomb raiding', which are also something out of my own mind.

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Chapter 5: New Beginnings

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"Take some of this!" Lance yelled as he executed a swift hook kick to Lara's face, the aforementioned woman in turn grabbed his foot in mid-air and twisted it until he fell to the ground. Lance stood up slowly only to be hammered to the ground once more by an uppercut to the chin. 

"Way too slow." Lara taunted her opponent as she reset her fighting stance.

Sweat dripped from Lance's forehead onto the ground, his brown hair, now only slightly above his ears, was plastered to his face. Eyes burning with rage, he gave an animalistic cry as the young man kicked the legs out from underneath Lara, and then rammed a shoulder in her stomach when she tried to stand. Lance walked over to the tomb raider who was still lying on the ground. "Rule number three of tomb raiding." He said between gasps for air. "Never let your guard down."

Lara smiled as he helped her up. "So the student has schooled the master. I've taught you well."

As soon as they were both on their feet, Lance crouched back down into a fighting stance. "Ready for round two?" He asked, but the auburn haired woman just shook her head.

"You've been here since four in the morning, don't you have somewhere else to go? Besides," She added. "Mark will be over in a few." Lance was halfway out the door to the gym before he gave a stifled giggle and Lara sighed at his immaturity. "Get over it already."

A year has passed since their first encounter and the two have vowed to place their past behind them. Lara had started to train Lance for the trip to Egypt, a reason she has yet to tell the boy. Lance, now seventeen, has made great progress in both his marksmanship and hand to hand combat. The former, they figured, he could not get much worse at.

Winston greeted Lara on her way to the shower. "How is Lance's training coming along?"

The tomb raider stopped to wipe the sweat away from her face. "Excellent, actually. When he really puts his mind to something he can't be dissuaded. I haven't told him this yet, but I'm taking him to Egypt with me tomorrow."

The old butler looked at Lara dubiously. "Do you think he'll be able to handle it? And what about you, you've never worked with a partner before."

Lara just shook her head, obviously having a good deal of confidence in her student. "Put your faith in me and I'll show you." She replied simply and walked past him en route to the shower.

About a half hour later, a knock was heard at the door. Lara jumped over the gold railing of the stairs and opened the front door to let Mark in. "Well you sure know how to make an entrance." He said, but his expression was one of worry and concern.

"What's wrong?" Lara asked, noticing the man's unease.

Taking a deep breath, Mark began to speak. "It was the funniest thing." He started. "All I was doing was driving around when some crazy guy stopped me and pulled me out of the car. Then he started yelling about something like 'I know you know that damned tomb raider who stole my son and you and her are gonna die.'"

Lara's jaw dropped in disbelief and as if on cue, Lance took that moment to walk into the main room, completely oblivious to the conversation. "But that's impossible…" Lara said at last. "I killed him. I saw him die."

The young man heard that last statement and had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly who they were talking about. "You mean my father…he's alive, isn't he?" Lance added the last part quietly.

"Look, it would be okay for you to side with Larson." Lara began. "If I know him as well as I know I do, he'll be looking for Runihura's Spear as well."

Lance thought this over for a few minutes before replying. "No, I won't turn my back on you now. Not after all you've done for me…it wouldn't be right." It was rather apparent that this entire situation was tearing the young man apart, forcing him to choose between his father and his mentor.

"Are you sure you don't want to—"Lara started, but was cut off.

"I said I'm sure!" Lance yelled, more anger in his voice than either one of them has ever heard before. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell." He amended quietly.

"This may be the wrong time to bring this up." Lara began. "But I wanted to know if you wanted to come to Egypt with me tomorrow."

A trace of a smile tugged at Lance's solemn and morose expression. "Looks like I have my chance to end this conflict with my father once and for all." Looking up at Lara and Mark, the young man nodded soberly. "I'll do it."

The tomb raider knew that there would be no changing his mind now that he had come to that decision, so finally she relented. "Okay. Be here early tomorrow morning so we can get to the hangar early." Lara explained as lance gave a sharp salute and walked out the door.

The auburn haired woman idly wondered where he went all day, but that thought was pushed out of her mind as she realized that Larson was still alive. Turning to Mark, Lara made a valiant attempt to mask the worry and concern she was feeling. "You should leave. If Larson knows you associate with me or about our…relationship, he'll most likely kill you to get to me." The tomb raider sighed. "This is the first place he would look and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

Mark was hesitant to leave, but he knew it would be for the best. Although it had been a year since they had first met each other again, it had just been recently that they had started a relationship. "Just be careful, okay?" He advised as he pulled her into his embrace.

"I will." Lara reassured him as she kissed his lips, tracing his jaw line lightly with her finger. With that the man turned around and walked out the door, stopping once before he left to glance back at the tomb raider.

After Mark had departed, Lara decided to begin packing now, seeing as how she was not a morning person and would most likely forget something if she packed her supplies at the last minute. "Strange cards fate has dealt, eh Lara?" Winston asked as he came out of his room. The tomb raider could do nothing more than nod her head in agreement.

"If somebody would have told me a year or so before all this started that I would be dating my friend from high school and I would be going back to Egypt with my enemy's son as an assistant, I'm pretty sure I would have punched them. Hard." Lara responded idly.

Winston laughed. "I honestly believed you were going to give up back then."

The auburn haired woman remembered that time well, memories of being buried alive in the tomb rushed back to her. "Me too."

* * *

Late that night, Lara heard a knock at the door. Drowsily getting out of bed and putting on a robe, she went downstairs and headed toward the loud banging noise. "Alright hold on." She mumbled as the knocking grew impossibly louder, wondering who could possibly want to talk to her at this hour.

"Hey Lara, ready to go?" The tomb raider's question was answered as she came face to face with a grinning Lance, a large bag was slung over his shoulder and he wore blue jeans and a red flannel shirt. This sight woke Lara up fully. If the young man standing in front of her had been blonde, he would have been a spitting image of his father.

"Lance." Lara glared at him irately. "It is two in the morning."

The young man's smile faded slightly at the woman's angered tone. "But you said you wanted to leave early." Lance justified.

Lara was unsure of whether Lance was a teenager or a two year old, being the former in appearance, but the latter in behavior. "Not. This. Early." She growled as he picked up his bag.

"Okay, just don't leave without me." Lance said as he began to walk away.

The only thing Lara could do was sigh and mumble angrily as she walked up the stairs and into her room. Before she fell asleep, Lara heard the door open. "Oh Lara?" Lance yelled from the foyer.

"Go to Hell Lance!" She yelled back without letting the young man finish his question.

"Alright then, see you there." Lance replied unabashedly as he left for good this time.

* * *

Morning came too quickly for the tomb raider, who would have thrown her alarm clock against the wall if she could have found it. After a bit of fumbling around, the shrill bell was silenced and Lara got up and stretched. The woman dressed in a black tee shirt with dark green shorts and walked down the stairs, or she would have if a certain young man had not been sleeping at the foot of the staircase. "Lance, wake up!" Lara yelled at the boy.

Lance just mumbled something incoherent and turned so his back was facing Lara. "Get up!" She growled forcefully and kicked the young man in the middle of the back.

Lance howled in pain and jumped up abruptly, throwing his yellow bag over his shoulder. "Alright, sorry."

The tomb raider shook her head and sighed. "Lance, sixth rule of tomb raiding."

Thinking for a moment, the seventeen year old snapped his fingers in triumph. "Obey every order fully and when it is given. Failure to do so may cost you your life."

Lara had to admit the kid was as sharp as a tack, but had almost no common sense about him. "And you better remember it, now let's go." Walking out of the house and into the garage, Lara got on a motorcycle and turned to Lance. "Take this and follow me." She instructed as Lance looked reverently at the black motorcycle with blue flames painted on.

"I think I'm in love." The young man grinned as he threw his arms around the bike. Lara let her helmet clad head drop against the cold steel of the handlebars.

"Quit screwing around." The tomb raider snapped over the roar of the engine before driving away, Lance hot on her heels.

* * *

Both came to an abrupt halt outside the hangar, Lance almost crashing into the back of Lara's bike. "Well it seems I found something worse than your shooting skills." The woman said as she took off her helmet. "And that would be your driving." They walked into a small building where a man was jotting something down from his computer. Lance cleared his throat and the man looked up from his work.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized with an awkward laugh. "May I help you?" The man was tall with short, jet black hair.

"Just me again." Lara responded, and the man turned his head to look at her.

"Oh, if it isn't Lara Croft." He said with a smile, tipping his purple and gold baseball cap out of politeness. "Yeah, I'm used to this by now." The man added as he rummaged through a messy desk drawer, producing a key and handing it to the tomb raider. "There you go, have a safe trip. Plane's around back." Lara nodded and the man went back to his work.

"Wow, look at that." Lance said as he gazed upon a large, dark blue airplane. "Is that ours?" Lara took the key and opened up the door, revealing a large gray interior. The tomb raider sat in the pilot's seat as Lance plopped down in the chair next to her.

Skeptically the young man looked at the control panel, then at Lara. "You do know what you are doing, right?"

Lara pushed a few buttons, pulled a level, and very slowly they began to ascend into the clear blue sky. "Trick of the trade." She replied, neglecting to tell him that the last time she had flown a plane she had taken off both wings and crash-landed in the middle of Tibet.

For a change, Lance was sitting and looking out the window in silence. He was admiring the beautiful view from this high up but the same thought kept gnawing at the back of his mind. "Do you think my father will be there?" Lance asked, finally voicing his concerns.

"I wouldn't doubt it." Lara replied, eyes darting briefly over to him. This was the answer that Lance did not want to hear. If worst came to worst, would he be able to kill his own father?

"I guess we'll see." He said quietly as he idly looked out the window. "I can't believe I'm actually on a plane with Lara Croft, going to Egypt." Lance told himself. "I can't believe I'm going to Egypt." He repeated as Lara sighed.

"Neither do I." She responded without taking her eyes off of the controls.

Lance looked over at her. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I never thought I'd be going back." Lara started. "A few months before I met you, I got into a nasty accident when the tomb I was exploring collapsed. It was at that time I thought my luck had run out and that this time I really would die."

The young man listened in amazement. "How did you survive that?"

"Von Croy found me before it was too late, but I think a part of me did die in that tomb…my confidence was almost completely shattered and I was actually afraid of dying. That event almost forced me to give up something I love."

"How did you decide you wanted to keep going?" Lance asked, wanting to hear the rest of this story.

"You."

"What do you mean?" The young man was genuinely puzzled by her answer.

"By stealing my artifacts it forced me to track you down…kind of giving me a push in the right direction. It made me realize how much I loved tomb raiding and how much I didn't want to give it up. You saved me from making what was probably a very big mistake." Lara replied.

Lance chuckled a bit. "And if it weren't for me almost cracking your skull open when you were on your motorcycle—which I apologize for, by the way." He added quickly. "You also would never have been reunited with Mark."

Lara smiled despite herself and nodded. "That too. I never thought so much good could come out of such bad experiences."

At that previous statement, Lance paused and thought for a while. "Then again, I think the only time we truly gain anything in life is when we experience misfortune."

The tomb raider took a few moments to ponder that seemingly paradoxical theory. "You know what Lance." She began. "I think you just may be right."

* * *

Chapter 6 preview: The history of Runihura's Spear is revealed and Lara tells Lance to turn back, but when the young man takes a stand she realizes just how much he has grown. Will pride and determination be enough to keep the tomb raider's going, or are they destined for a fall? 


	6. Of Honor and Pride

Author's Note: Wow it's really been forever since I've updated and I apologize...actually with all of my other projects I forgot about this one. If anyone still reads this, thanks and please review. As a note, if anyone reads this before I have a chance to revise, Raijinn's name is now Runihura, Maru is Khalfani and I must go back and correct it. Figured it was best for Egyptian characters to have names that are, oh I dunno, Egyptian.

* * *

Chapter 6: Of Honor and Pride

* * *

Hours later, the plane was a few minutes away from their destination. Lance had his seat reclined, his occasional light snore confirmed the fact that he was asleep. Lara continued to pilot the plane, but the words that the young man had said some time before still resonated in her head: _I think the only time we truly gain anything in life is when we experience misfortune. _"He's not all that bad." Lara told herself quietly as they landed smoothly in the desert.

"Uh, what? We there already?" Lance sat up and rubbed his eyes drowsily, mumbling something about pink elephants and talking chestnuts.

"Yes, it's still some distance away, but I made travel arrangements for us." Lara said and gestured to a small house with a pen in the back. The desert area was very quiet and sparsely populated, but many people enjoyed living in the secluded area. Lara knocked on the door and a tall, thin man answered.

"Yes?" The older bearded man looked at the two explorers questioningly, his English was surprisingly good.

"May we borrow two of your camels, sir?" Lara asked. The man's wife came to the door and the pair talked in incomprehensible Arabic before turning to Lance and Lara.

"I suppose you may, but please take care of them. I want them returned when you are done." The female tomb raider nodded and the man took them back to the pen.

Lance looked one of the camels over, a slightly bemused expression crossing his features. "Wow, those are some big, ugly dogs." He said as he poked and prodded at the camel's nose.

"That's not a dog, Lance, it's a camel." Lara corrected him, not being able to believe the rather dense young man could not differentiate between the two.

"A what?" Lance asked as he continued to poke it. The irritated animal spit in his face and Lance sprung back with a startled yelp. "Gross! Bad dog! There is no way I'm getting on one of those demonic possessed dogs."

"Then you stay here and I'll go, then I will come back and see how long it took for the vultures to pick apart your dried up carcass." Lara proposed with a wry smile.

Lance looked at the camel, who met his eyes before grunting in disgust and turning away. Both of them got on their respective camels and trotted away, but not without much cursing, grumbling, and complaining on Lance's part.

The younger tomb raider took a CD player out of his bag and put on his headphones, cranking the volume so loud that Lara could hear it as if it were blaring in her ears. "That kid is going to go deaf at this rate." Lara said to herself as an oblivious Lance began to play air guitar.

"What? Aww, damn it." Lance cursed in frustration as he took the headphones off and jammed them back into his bag. "Fifth rule of tomb raiding—always be prepared." He groused fumingly. With that, they continued to travel across the vast, sprawling desert silently.

Not too much later, the pair of tomb raiders reached the ruins that Runihura's Spear was supposed to be located in. "This is the place." Lara told Lance as he jumped off the camel as quick as he could and tethered both of them to a nearby piece of debris.

"Lance, first rule of tomb raiding." Lara asked, pausing before the two entered the ruins.

"That's an easy one." The young man explained. "It is vitally important to always be aware of your surroundings and to watch your back because ain't no one gonna watch it for you."

Lara, while slightly amused at the other's complete disregard for basic English grammar, nodded in silent confirmation. "I didn't want to wait for you to screw up to make sure you knew that."

They both cautiously stepped into the ruins, spider webs lined the corners of the walls and scorpions skittered out of the way. The dusty, stagnant air caused Lance to cough, but Lara, who was used to it, was unaffected. Reaching into her backpack, Lara grabbed a flare and lit it with a resounding crack. "Wow, this is amazing." Lance said. Even though his voice was barely above a whisper, it echoed loudly through the room, bouncing off the ancient stone walls. Lance paused as he felt some sort of carving. "Hey, check this out, are these hieroglyphs?"

Lara, who was a few feet in front of him stopped and turned around, knelt down next to the carvings and held her flare up to them. "I believe they are." She responded absently.

"Can you read what they say?" Lance inquired as the flare burned out. The female tomb raider took out a flashlight and nodded her head.

"Runihura is becoming way too powerful." Lara began. "He incinerated our crops and calls upon the fury of Ra to strike our homes. What worries me and my people the most is the spear he wields and its ability to draw lightning from the sky. As pharaoh, I refuse to let this chaos continue and vow to stop it, even if it shall cost me my very life." Both of them stood very silent for a few moments. "That's all." Lara said softly.

In a way, this reminded the tomb raider of her first expedition with Werner Von Croy back in Cambodia, only this time she felt that her protégé was in greater danger than she ever was. "Lance, this is serious…you should go back home." Lara warned as she picked up her bag.

"No." The young man protested forcefully, looking his mentor square in the eye. "Lara, you trusted me…you gave me a second chance that, in my heart, I know damn well I did not deserve. You taught me everything I know about tomb raiding, and even though you may not know it, you taught me a lesson for life." Lara was both shocked and moved by Lance's emotion filled words, but made no attempt to interject. "You taught me never to give up no matter what…that even if you are afraid, to look your problems in the eye and never yield to them. You are my mentor and I am supposed to do as I am instructed, but not this time, I will not run away from this."

All at once Lara realized how much Lance had grown and matured over the year that they had known each other. He had metamorphosed from the rash, impudent, vengeful little brat he once was into a strong, mature young man. "I understand now." The woman said at last, but her sternness was belied by a proud smile at how far her student had come.

The two adventurers moved forward into the darkness, going quickly yet carefully through the dusty stone halls. Stopping in her tracks, Lara pushed Lance onto the ground. "Get down!" The woman instructed as she drew her .45s and fired off a few shots, whatever it was that she saw she was almost certain it was dead. "You alright?" Lara asked the other as she helped him up, the younger explorer shaking his head.

"Yeah, what was all that about?" Lance asked as he shone a light down the hall, noticing a skeleton with several bullets wedged in its bones.

"Get used to it." Lara said as she dug another .45 out of her brown backpack and handed it to Lance.

"Fourth rule of tomb raiding." The young man said to himself as he flipped the safety off. "Don't wait until you are attacked to defend yourself."

Lara nodded as she knelt down against the wall, studying more of the carvings. "The spear now out of Runihura's reach, great power he hath bequeathed . Should you enter unto this room, my spirit shall cast imminent doom." The woman looked over the rest of the hieroglyphs carefully, Lance following suit despite not being able to read them.

"I don't see a room." The younger tomb raider said to himself as he looked around. Lara pushed a stone into the wall as the rocky barrier lifted up, revealing a long stairway. "Damn…you're good." Lance remarked as he walked over to Lara and shone a light down the long tunnel. A long hallway, cracking in many places, would lead them down into the depths of the ruins. The pair turned around when they noticed that another door had opened as well, the room it lead to was littered with debris and had a table in the middle of the room with a spear gently placed on top—presumably Runihura's Spear.

"Hey, that was kinda easy." Lance remarked as he walked into the room, kicking ceramic pots and cups off to the side.

"Too easy." Lara corrected as she followed him. "Be careful." They continued to walk towards the spear, their footfalls echoing in the distance, but when they got to the table a trapdoor opened underneath them, sending them plummeting into the endless darkness.

The two tomb raiders fell into a deep pool of dirty, opaque water. Lara opened her eyes briefly and swan to the surface, gasping for air as she pulled herself up onto dry land. "Oh bloody hell! Lance!" The woman exclaimed as she remembered that her young student was somewhere at the bottom of the pool. Without a second thought, Lara dove back into the watery abyss to search for Lance. The water was almost impossible to see through, but while the pool was exceedingly deep, it was relatively narrow. Lara felt her hand brush against something and made out the vague outline of the young man, then wrapped one arm around him and fought to swim to the surface.

Lara hauled Lance up onto the dry land then climbed up herself, the young man in a bit of a daze coughed up some water and shakily rose to his feet. "I guess I owe you my life twice now." Lance said with a weak smile as he brushed damp brown hair away from his eyes.

"Just as I thought, we should have taken the stairs." Lara said as she gestured to the same staircase that they had saw before. _I can't believe I fell for such an amateur trap, _Lara thought with a tinge of aggravation. _I've been out of the game for way too long if something like that fooled me._

"What's done is done, I suppose." Lance said with a shrug as they both walked on. A gust of cold air blew through the tomb, sending a chill up the young man's spine as the pair stopped in their tracks. "Did you feel that?" Lance asked as he arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"Either that, or we're both going crazy." Lara remarked vacantly as an even stronger wave of cold air washed over them. A form walked out of the room and into the hall so that he stood directly in front of Lance and Lara. It was a man dressed in what appeared to be ancient Egyptian clothing with medium black hair tied back in a ponytail, the man's cool blue eyes coming into sharp contrast with his deeply tanned skin as he calmly looked over the two adventurers.

"Grave robbers? Even after all these years?" He questioned in a deep, powerful voice that was both calming and sternly commanding at the same time. Lance fumbled out his .45s and fired off a few shots, and was amazed when the bullets merely passed through the apparition. "Do not strike me, I am only here to help you." He put out his translucent hand out in a gesture of good will and a faint hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Who are you?" Lance asked once he realized the spirit would do them no harm.

"The correct question would be who _was _I. I was Khalfani, former pharaoh of Egypt…my reign was cut short after I was killed in battle by Runihura." Lara, having seen so many odd and supernatural things in the course of her career did not even consider the spirit who was talking to them to be strange. Lance, on the other hand, had his jaw hanging and stared in confusion. "Now your turn—who are you?" Khalfani asked as Lara put her guns away and approached him.

"I'm Lara Croft and that kid is Lance. We came to find Runihura's Spear before it falls into the wrong hands." The woman explained as the pharaoh closed his eyes.

"Your intentions are pure…unlike the last man that I saw." Khalfani stated, causing Lance's head to shoot up.

"What did he look like?" The young man asked.

"Pretty tall, dark blonde hair…he talked funny and didn't seem to be all too intelligent." The pharaoh responded, and both Lara and Lance agreed that Khalfani's description matched Larson very well. "All I want is for the spear to be safe…somewhere where it will be undisturbed forever." Khalfani started in his deep voice. "I trust you will fulfill my request."

The apparition disappeared but his words still resonated through the room. "Lara, whatever happens, this is my fight." Lance said as he turned to his mentor. "I want to settle this on my own." Lara knew what he meant and understood his adamancy towards confronting his father. "So where are we going now?" The young man asked after a few seconds, trying to get off of a sore subject.

Lara scanned the area and noticed three rooms on the same side of the hall—the first room the pharaoh came out of, the second one was a narrower room enveloped in darkness, and the third had a locked door with a keyhole. "Simple. All you have to do is think logically. Lara began. "If a door is locked, there must be something of value behind it. In order to protect it, the key is hidden in a conspicuous place that few people would find."

Lance nodded in understanding as he took in the entire information. "Good theory chief, but there are still two doors to choose from." He noted and shone his flashlight into the dark room which had three hallways, each going in a different direction. "Perfect." He mumbled as he peeked into Khalfani's room, a faint, eerie glow palely lit the chamber that only contained one hallway.

"Let's go this way." Lara said and walked into the black room, then briefly thought about which route to take.

"Hey chief." Lance started tentatively. "What if they're using the reverse psychology thing…y'know, hide it in plain sight?"

Lara sighed, while the young man had made a very valid point, he was making the matter more complicated than what it really was. _Or am I just making it simpler than what it really is? _The female tomb raider let out another sigh. _We've only been here a few hours and already he is making me contradict myself…no wonder I usually work alone. _Lara reminded herself. "Let's go through the passage on the left." She told Lance as he obediently followed, the narrow hall leading them into a large room.

As Lance was walking into the room, he absently stepped on a raised rock. "Lance, you did _not _just do that." Lara said as she heard the distinct sound of stone scraping against itself, followed by yet another sound she knew well—a little too well. Looking up, then to her left and right, her suspicions were confirmed as she noticed the rusted spike walls caked with dry blood and dirt closing in on them on three sides. Without hesitation, the two ran from the spikes before tripping and stumbling down a slope. Lara and Lance hit the ground hard and struggled to rise back up quickly.

"You alright chief?" Lance asked as he helped his mentor up, a dull ache surging through his body as a result of the hard landing.

"I've been better and I've been worse." Lara paused to wipe the blood from a deep scrape that ran from her elbow to her wrist. "How about you?"

Just then the ground shook, a vicious, blood curdling howl filled the air as Lance stared in disbelief. "This could be **very **bad."

* * *

Chapter 7 preview: The great beast of the skies threatens to destroy the two tomb raiders, but after a long and valiant struggle, Khalfani steps in. Larson also makes his appearance and has a chance encounter with the spirit of Runihura, and the ancient spirit decides to strike a deal with the man... 


End file.
